All over the place

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Doug Johnstone

OK, so I’m all over the place. In the media, that is. Kind of. Not really. But a few features and Q&As have popped up recently, here’s a wee list:

A big interview in The Scotsman at the weekend, in which I mention Helen FitzGerald and Deliverance in the same sentence, and slag off my first two books. Oops.

A fun Q&A over at Allan Guthrie’s Criminal-E blog, in which I big up Boards of Canada and talk about ‘gliding through the fucking Matrix’, which is a line ripped off of Charlie Brooker. Sorry, Charlie!

Another cracking Q&A at Tony Black’s Pulp Pusher blog, where I rave about modern hillbilly noir and declare that I don’t like Alasdair Gray’s Lanark. Boof!

And last but not least, a small but lovingly formed piece by me over on Eva Dolan’s excellent Loitering With Intent blog, as part of her series on Criminal Classics. I picked Stevenson’s Jekyll & Hyde.

As well as these, there was a feature in The Courier a few days ago which I haven’t seen yet, and apparently an appearance in The Sunday Times Home section talking about my childhood home, of all the weird and uninteresting things.

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The most beautiful widow in town

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Doug Johnstone

Dear The Spirit of Mark Linkous,

I am truly sorry for my inadequate cover version of your song yesterday evening. Especially the whistling.

Here’s what it should’ve sounded like.

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Hit & Run reviews round up part two, plus…

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Doug Johnstone

OK, so two days till publication, and there have been a handful of reviews of Hit & Run popping up around the place. Sorry for not getting these up here sooner, but as you can imagine, things are a bit BUSY, all right?

First, there’s a very nice review from journalist Paul Cockburn on his site in which he claims I’m ‘an author approaching his prime’! My prime! Jean Brodie would be proud.

Interestingly, there’s a slightly edited version of this review on the Scottish Review of Books site in which that glorious moneyshot ending has been excised. Does that mean my prime is over? Does it, Paul? Shit, that wasn’t much of a prime.

Over on his Manic Pop Thrills blog, Mike Melville is keen to set up The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Fictional Characters. Don’t sign me up, Mike, I love throwing shit at those guys. Great review, though.

And Alistair Braidwood wins the prize for the best review headline over on Scots Whay Hae. ‘Pills, Thrills & Faulty Brakes’, indeed. Very smart. Although technically incorrect, the brakes weren’t faulty.

And not wanting to be left out again, here comes Smokeheads with a cheeky wee review over at The Book is on the Table, which ends with ‘Nice book, read it!’. Who am I to argue?

More soon, munchkins!

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Short books are better than long books, or are they?

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Doug Johnstone

Aye so, I wrote something over on the Faber blog The Thought Fox about how short books are better than long books. I stand by that, of course, but needless to say, for the purposes of getting the rise out of folk, I was slightly ‘coming the cunt’ as Begbie might put it. This was pointed out to me by some author friends who write longer books. Bless ’em.

In the interests of balance and fair play (neither of which really have any place on the internet, of course, but still), here are some fantastic long novels from the last few years (with page counts):

Nick Harkaway, The Gone Away World (532)
Jane Harris, Gillespie & I (605)
Brady Udall, The Lonely Polygamist (602)
Christos Tsiolkas, The Slap (483)
Glen David Gold, Carter Beats the Devil (560)
James Ellroy, The Cold Six Thousand (711)

How about them apples?

Dxxx

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Don’t fuck with Bjork

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Doug Johnstone

OK, so it’s Friday tune time. Bjork. She’s crazy, she’s brilliant, y’all know that.

Anyway, whenever I hear anyone bleating on that Scotland couldn’t manage as an independent country, I just wanna sit em down and make em watch this:

For sure, the lyrics wouldn’t stand close scrutiny as a policy document, but lookit, you just don’t fuck with Bjork. This performance from her and her band is off the scale of exciting.

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Hit & Run Launch Party

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Doug Johnstone

OK, we all know there are too many books in the world. Sadly, I am adding to the glut.

My new novel, Hit & Run, is coming out. Please come and help me launch it into the world.

Blackwell’s
South Bridge
Edinburgh
6.30pm, Thursday 15th March.
It’s ticketed, but tickets are FREE.

There will be a short reading, some banter, a few thank-yous, some free wine, good vibes, and maybe a couple of tunes. Then we can all go to The Holyrood round the corner afterwards for a proper drink.

Who’s in?

If you’re swithering, thinking maybe this isn’t the book for you, ask yourself this: Do you like books about car crashes? And psychological collapse? And emergency decompressive craniotomies? If you answered yes to any of those, then this COULD be the book for you after all.

Feel free to spread the word, the more the merrier, folks!

Tickets are available from the front desk at Blackwell’s. Please contact Ann Landmann on 0131 622 8222 or events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk

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Local news for local people (and you)

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Doug Johnstone

Aye so, I was interviewed by The Edinburgh Evening News recently. Then they snapped me standing leaning against the shut door of a pub for no good reason.

Needless to say, Sandra Dick, who interviewed me, was very interested in the fact my main character was a murderous reporter for, ahem, The Edinburgh Evening Standard.

I’m reliably informed that in the paper version, I shared a double-page spread with the Vets and Pets column:

‘My goldfish has started to swim upside down a lot.’

‘I just can’t get my rescue cat to use the catflap.’

Thank God the vet had answers, as I wouldn’t have had a clue.

A bientot, furry friends!

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Crime Fiction Lover love it – boof!

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Doug Johnstone

OK, so my 3-year-old daughter has taken to saying ‘Boof!’ as a general expression of delight and amazement. I dunno where she got that from, but I like it and I’ve started copying her.

So I say BOOF!, check out Crime Fiction Lover‘s review of Hit & Run. Wow. They love it. Specifically, Eva Dolan loves it – cheers, Eva!

Sadly, I have a mental health policy where I only read every review once. Which is a pity, because this is the kind of review you could read seven or eight times, just to get your head/ego to swell right up. But I won’t. Lemme just cut to the chase:

Scottish crime fiction is a tough playground right now but with Hit and Run Doug Johnstone proves he can hold his own with the best of them.

That’s the stuff. A tough playground, sure enough, but I brought a fucking Stanley knife to school.

Enjoy!

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lightsabre cocksucking blues

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Doug Johnstone

I look after the kids on Fridays, so don’t really have the time to fuck around online posting bullshit all day. But I’ve decided I’m gonna post a tune every Friday, something that I’ve been listening to during the week. So here it is, turn it up, amigos!

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The first reviews of Hit & Run

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Doug Johnstone

Aye so, official publication date of Hit & Run is the 15th March, but some tasty reviews have already appeared, so here’s a wee round up. Thanks to all reviewers for taking the time to engage with the text.

Firstly, Andrew McPake gives it the once over on his blog. And you know what? He likes it. ‘This is a straight-up page turner with a scintillating premise,’ he writes, and he’s not wrong. What an astute guy.

Second, here’s a glowing review by author and blogger Malcolm Holt over on his A Bit On The Side blog. Apparently, ‘this is Johnstone’s best yet’. That’s not me talking, that’s Malcolm – cheers, sir!

Next up is Kirstie Long getting behind the wheel over at Shotsmag. She likes it. According to her it’s ‘a rounded story of a man losing his sanity because of one decision’. Dead straight, Kirstie.

And over at The Skinny, Amy Balloch is a bit more meh about it, giving it three stars, despite the fact that I am, apparently, ‘an exemplary author who works the ‘less is more’ angle perfectly’. Less IS more, Amy, it really is.

With all this attention for Hit & Run, you’d think poor little Smokeheads was being forgotten, but not a bit of it. Here’s (Female) Opinionated Reader giving it the thumbs up over on her blog. Cheers, whoever you are, with your opinions and everything. Although I should point out that Smokeheads is published by Faber, not Cargo.

More to follow soon, no doubt. Stay tuned!

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